the view from here
letter for you, neighbor.
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** Yes, this will be hanging on the little clip on her/his door.**
Dear Neighbor who lives in the apartment above me,
Hello! You don’t know me, but I live directly below you, in fact, I’m 99% sure that your bedroom is RIGHT above mine, and because the layout of this room is so weird, your bed is also probably in a very similar spot. So hey! We practically know each other, which is good, except for the fact that you and I are having some major issues, and I thought we might try and clear them up in case we actually meet face to face someday. You don’t want me to give you the stink eye. (I’m passive aggressive like that.)
You see, it’s like this. You’re kind of driving me crazy because you’re making me tired. I’m a full time nursing student so I need sleep like I never have before. I need at least 7 .5 hours and you are making this an impossible goal. My ears feel irritated, and dark circles are forming under my eyes… and it’s because I wake up early every morning since you moved in.
You thump. I stare at the ceiling. I grumble to no one in particular (since you can’t hear me) I calmly ask, “Are. You. Serious?” Sometimes, less calmly, I add, “SERIOUSLY!?” and I might pull my covers over my head (no, it does not help- it just feels dramatic) depending on how tired I am. But I consider myself a nice person, so I want to give you the benefit of the doubt.
I don’t think you want to intentionally make my mornings a little miserable, but there are possible bad habits which are causing a real rift in our apartment neighbor relationship.
I have tried to imagine what the heck is happening up there that creates the noise your feet make when they THUD! THUD! THUD!! directly above my sleepy head. Here’s what I’ve come up with:
1. You have a vigorous morning exercise ritual. You do several jumping jacks in the morning at your bedside.
2. You have a vigorous morning exercise ritual. You jump in place, then do laps around your bed.
3. Your bed posts are really high- like three feet off the ground- high, so you literally jump off your bed in the morning… but then you decide to make the jumping down and climbing back up part of that exercising, so you do it several times every morning.
Also, I should mention… I noticed you vacuum most nights at about 11:30 pm. Why? Oh, and how could I forget, you open then slam your dresser drawers shut. Are you angry at your clothes?
Might I suggest?
1. Use the apartment gym to exercise. It’s practically right out side our apartment door! You can run, you can do jumping jacks and you can even lift some weights.
2. Hang up your clothes or if you really hate them so much, take them all out of your drawers and give them to Goodwill.
3. Tennis balls. I figure I can lay them on the pillow next to me and when you get a little out of control with the exercising, I can chuck them at the ceiling as a gentle reminder for you to get yourself to the gym!
Be well and please, less stomping, it’s driving me crazy,
Rachel
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I’ve been working on the labor and delivery unit for a month now…watch this video, http://vimeo.com/6344770 (at least the beginning where the nurse describes what happens typically when a woman comes in).
It’s true. The cascade I’ve seen for nearly every patient is this: early first stage labor (came in probably too early), IV fluids, continuous fetal monitoring, toco (to measure contractions) mom is now allowed to get up and is stuck in bed due to continuous monitoring, slow progressing labor (most likely due to being stuck in bed and laying on her back), several vaginal exams, artificially rupture her membranes, pitocin, epidural, foley catheter… then either (pushing with and epidural- which can be ineffective so you get: episotomies, tearing, both, neither (hopefully) or the vacuum, maybe some fetal distress (heart rate decreases) and then the ever convenient Cesarean birth.) Hire a doula and midwife, and statistically your chances of this ‘cascade’ happening go down, down down. (I posted some journal references so you can look them up if you’d like, those are only three of MANY studies done. I don’t have the time to write them all out, but you get the point.) You don’t have to be afraid of hospitals or docs. That’s not the point.
Just be educated and then be empowered ladies.
References.
Ballen, L. & Fulcher, A. (2006) Nurses and doulas: Comlemntary roles to provide optimal maternity care. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic and Neonatal Nursing, 35, 304-311.
Scott, K. D., Klaus, P. H., & Klaus, M.H. (1999) The obstetrical and postpartum benefits of continuous support during childbirth. Journal of Women’s Health & Gender-Based Medicine, 8, 1257-1264
VanZandt, S., Edward, L., & Jordan, E. (2003). Lower epidural anesthesia use associated with labor support by student nurse doulas: Implications for intrapartal practice. Complemntary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 11, 153-160
ladies. this blog is for you.
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Ever since I started taking Nursing the Childbearing Family and doing my clinicals on the Labor and Delivery unit, I have somehow become the self proclaimed expert of obstetrics. Seriously, advice that you didn’t ask for, keeps falling out of my mouth, such as, “Take folic acid- NOW. I don’t care if you’re not planning on being pregnant yet, just do it. Seriously!” See? I can’t help it! I’m all full of opinions and often find myself wishing that I could take all my friends and shrink them down to pocket sized people so I could bring them to class and the hospital.
But alas, that is impossible… I was going to blog about some “opinions” I now have, like,
Ask your doctor if he is experienced in vaginal deliveries with an intact perineum, (that is, can he do it without an episiotomy). Ask this before you pick him. Don’t go to the hospital just because your water breaks, wait until your contractions are regular and about 3-5 minutes apart- that’s if you don’t want to be a likely candidate for a cesarean section. (30.1% in the US and climbing… ) Vegan pregnancy? Yes. If you are pregnant, take classes and educate yourself about the birthing process. You’ll feel empowered by your body, instead of scared when those contractions hit and you want to give up. Watch The business of Being Born before you get pregnant. Hire a doula. Consider a midwife.
but I will refrain from spouting off too much advice… don’t want to seem so radical that you don’t believe me! Hahaha
More to come. Especially if you are of childbearing age and you are on my cell phone contact list.
hi!
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Someday, I’m going to prove that studying actually does burn a TON of calories (the more complex the material- the more calories you burn)- if I can’t prove that, then I’m going to prove that working on a Labor and Delivery unit all day long increases your appetite- because it has something to do with vicarious longings or some form of subconscious pregger’s-belly-envy. I have no idea…But I’ll figure it out and get back to you someday.
That was my back to school introduction!
So yes, I’m back , and it’s taken a week and a half for me to be say with honesty this next sentence…”I’m excited about this semester!”
My brain has never been asked to be stretched further, the workload has not been this intense- and yes, probably due to the constant running around, or the biking around everywhere on my new bike -(Yay!), there is now my continuous need for sustenance! And seriously- studying Pharmacology and trying to remember drug-this and drug-that… it makes me quite famished!
But as I eluded to earlier, there is another reason (perhaps!?) for my famish’ed’ness. Labor and Delivery! I LOVE my classes this semester- namely my OB and Birth Companions classes. Pregnant women are lovely- and babies- what can I say about new beautiful babies-I’ll just sighhhhhhhh…instead………..
On my first day when I got to see a delivery- I practically passed out- not because of all the blood or the placenta that was placed in the blue tray in front of me, but because I was in love. I think I floated home from the hospital that night and my feet didn’t touch down until the next day. Labor and delivery is making my semester.
Then there’s birth companions- Amazing! I am so excited! By the end of the class we qualify to be Doulas (birth companions). The even better thing- is that they are internationally recognized through DONA, and this is very conducive for my goals, so this is good! (DONA site)
What else? What else? There’s my bike. Love her. She’s taking me all around the city and this has exponentially increased my satisfaction with my geographical locale.
I guess I could ramble on and on about other amzing things that have happened this semester- involving Dentists, a marathon, Mya (!), and my sweet class at the school of public heath on Humanitarian Emergencies….but… I think I’ll spare you the details or write about them later.
Peace- Rachel
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Why hello there! It’s been a long time since I’ve felt that I had something to say that didn’t have to do with “you know what” ((whispers) nursing school). I recently told my roommate (proudly, I might add) that I hadn’t thought about “you know what” all day- but then questioned if thinking about how you haven’t thought about something, actually counts as thinking about the thing itself. I’m pretty sure it does not. But perhaps I’m lying to myself in a desperate attempt to escape anything nursing school- at least for three weeks that is. Omy. Because of my words, you are probably thinking to yourself. “Wow, she really hates school!” Not true- it’s just that… let me explain… Someone recently asked me if nursing school was ‘kicking my ass’, I told them that it didn’t kick it so much as it made it sore. That’s right. It’s not school in itself that I desperately needed a break from; it was the building, it was Baltimore in general. We literally spent 12 1/2, 9 1/2, 7 1/2 (our blessed “short day”) hours sitting in classrooms, or being in lab. Then we’d come home and sit at our desks and work on assignments.
Our bony prominences hurt. Real bad! And if there’s one thing I can take away from my first semester, I’ve learned that long sedentary hours on bony prominences can lead to pressure ulcers. Bad news bears people. Don’t worry, I did not develop pressure ulcers on my prominences. I’m way too wiggly for that.
Aside from my memories of my prominences, and soreness, and long hours in room 140, I am again, feeling happy as a lark, but this time, because I am free for two more weeks!
In other unrelated happy news:
Rachel got a bike!! (I don’t compeltely know why that was written in third person) but it’s awesome!! Way better than my expensive little REI bike that is sitting in Seattle. I got my vintage French red bike with a basket and bell (thank you Mya!) for $75!! I know, I know, you are soo jealous, but don’t judge me for what I am about to say… I deserved it.
In other not as exciting, but almost as equally important news: New York. I was there for the first time and it was splendid! I walked probably 20 miles (I’m totally serious) so I didn’t feel the least bit bad about my lack of self restraint as I ate a gluten free, vegan; oatmeal raisin cookie for breakfast, chocolate cupcake for dessert, and chocolate cheese cake for my other dessert.
Alrighty friends! Sorry to rush off in such a hurry, but I have just been informed that I must finish now! I’m on my way to the beach with a car full of bikes!
More soon!
Loves!
five is the magic number!
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As of about three weeks ago, there is this little five word phrase that continuously echos through the halls of our school. It makes its way up the stairs, to the line of our favorite coffee cafe where we wait for shots of espresso and bagels, and into our tired little ears.
I am so over it.
This little phrase has come in so handy these last few weeks because it has centered me. It may sound like I’m just being apathetic and irresponsible, or slightly immature, but really, it’s just a unique (or not so unique) way of saying that I am REALLY tired and I am at that moment, actively evaluating my priorities and shifting them from a place that makes me really unbalanced and unhappy to having perspective and choosing to be quite happy with my present circumstances!
Part of my philosophy this semester has been “work hard, but not too hard,” so that I can smile, laugh a lot, and actually have fun and have a life in nursing school. (As opposed to saying it was the worst year of my life, which we’ve heard!) Everybody’s goals here are different. Some of us come in wanting straight A’s. And some people will actually accomplish that. But to do that, meaningful relationships, adequate time away from school, and sleep have to be put on hold for 13.5 months. After day one, I realized this would be impossible for me. Plus we got an awesome lecture from one of my favorite professors on how beautiful the letter B was and how curvaceous and cute C’s were!
So last weekend, I chose to not study much for my exam, but instead took a much needed break to hike the Appalachian trail with Mark and Kelly and spend time with my new niece cat, Spicee and eat lots of delicious food and sleep.
Then, I got a B. I started to get my feathers ruffled for about three minutes and then thought to myself…”I am so over it!”
Translation: “Wait, I had a pretty awesome weekend. I would trade getting an A, for the Appalachian trail and the blue ridge mountains of Shenandoah and margaritas and great food and spending time with my brother and sister any day!”
So, school is busy. Really busy, when we run out of things to do, I think they just start making up new random assignments just because they can. But no matter, don’t let my comments or grades taint your veiw of my semester! It’s been great! It’s been full of school work; but also new friends, crazy festivals, phone converstations with people I love, Rhode Island, and weekends with Mark and Kelly! We are officially drawing to a close, next week is our last week of classes! And I will officially be 1/4 of a nurse! yay! Next semester, my goal is to make it to week 11 before I start with the five words!
intentional needle sticks.
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Finals week is quickly approaching, and by “quickly”, I mean I have less then three, yes, THREE weeks of classes left and I am stoked. I rarely use that word, but it just felt so… appropriate. August will be like heaven! In four weeks I finally get to see New York and then go back to RI and Mass. where I will be able to catch up with friends, and then… there’s MYA! Oh my Mya! She will be flying here in 7 1/2 weeks and we can discover more of this city together. It will be amazing.
This is how I manage this program… You have just witnessed one of my best coping methods. I count down. I’m serious! I know exactly how much time I have left (45 weeks of classes/transitions). It’s a beautiful thing. Time is flying by and I am learning and learning and learning.
Once I was in seminary and that was hard because the more I learned the less I knew that I knew. Which in itself was not necessarily a bad thing. It was beautiful and humbling. But Theology is not something you can ever fully “get.” One can never truly accomplish the feat of knowing all there is to know about God. He is the perpetual wonderful mystery. So you find yourself fulfilled in your learning and your questions and your thoughts, but sometimes it’s hard accepting that you cant’ just pass a test and say “I’ve got it! It totally makes sense now!” Sometimes you still lay awake at night, and just wonder.
Here is where nursing school is the total opposite of seminary. It’s a different kind of beautiful and also a different kind of humbling. Everything is so tangible. We have studies, and statistics… we have evidence based practice- and then we have tests, (…and this is sometimes where our humility comes in!) I learn kinesthetically and I need to practice something so I can understand and retain it. This explains why last week even though it hurt so bad, I gave myself a subcutaneous shot in my thigh, a glucose stick on my finger and three of the same shot on my calf because I needed to figure out how to administer an intradermal shot properly. I wanted to make sure that when my patient trustingly gave me her arm, that I wouldn’t make her say “OUCH!” super loud like I did to myself in class last week. And so… I drew up my “meds”- again, and again and again and my leg had the tiniest little bruises, but I can give an ID shot! Also, I passed my sign offs for med administration, (woot! woot!) and last week in the hospital, the nurse I was working with on the unit let me check for glucose levels (that one hurts!) and give insulin to her patient. I was soooo excited- I brought it down probably five notches, then calmly walked into my patient’s room and told him what I was going to do…the best part? I told him, “I’m sorry, I know this really hurts, huh? I gave myself (Proudness!!) one last week to see what it felt like! We’ll be quick.” He just shrugged his shoulders and told me it was not big deal. Dang. (Humbleness!) My pain tolerance must be close to 1! I paid careful attention to my little purple/pink throbbing finger throughout the morning and also spent the morning feeling very bad for diabetics and wondering if my finger would ever “heal!” We nursing students can become little hypochondriacs I guess. But this is another other blog. Sometime I will tell you about asking my roommate to do a peripheral vascular assessment on me at 11:00 pm, then asking if I could give her one (for comparison purposes!)
Well, that’s all my random news for now, two days till Friday- Washington DC, Mark and Kelly!! Yayyyy!
* ps. and just so you don’t freak out like my step mom (hahaha) The syringes are filled with good old saline, so I’m not injecting myself with random expired drugs! She was like “Raachhhheellll, You be careful! Do not put all those drugs into yourself! You will get sick!” Hilarious.
*pss. peripheral vascualr assessment by roommate went well- We are apparently healthy! Phew!
two weeks down. 13 months to go.
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As many of you know, I’ve been in hard core nursing school for the past two weeks. I say “hard core” because it’s the accelerated program. This means I’ll be in school for the next 13 months with 6 weeks of breaks- three for summer three for Christmas- and oh man, do we ever look forward to, and talk about those breaks like there’s no tomorrow!
This week I had my first clinical. This means, vital signs on a REAL patient as opposed to your roommate and the five or so other people in the program who’s normal blood pressures you’ve already memorized because you’ve practiced on them over and over and over again!
So I definitely had issues getting my patient’s v/s., but he was REALLY nice, and also my clinical instructor was amazing! Which made me feel less bad about my failure to inflate the pump adequately, and my patient’s falling asleep when I still had 45 minutes left to go! He must have been real tired.
I’ve truly been having the best experience so far ever. (Remind me of this the week I have three midterms due and two papers, which I’ve heard are between 14-30 pages.) But like I said,
So far, LOVE the program, LOVE the instructors… the only thing I can say I DON’T like:
UNIFORMS. scrubs: (can be) cute. OUR scrubs? not cute. I figure they don’t want us to be overly confident yet!
Here’s the problem: they are made for men, who apparently have long legs, fat thighs, skinny ankles, and butts that sag to the back of your knee. it’s pretty awesome. and by awesome, I mean anything but that.
Now, as for my schedule, it basically looks like this:
6:15 wake up, Bible, work out, smoothie, school from 8-5:20 (most days) home, phone, skype, study?? sleep! Wake up, repeat!
There are tests/quizzes/papers/sign offs pretty much every single day of the week, and usually things due Sunday. Oh yes and did I mention the size and amount of Text books. Yes, we read them ALL. Most from cover to cover which is equal to hundreds and hundreds of pages of reading for the summer.
nice. 
I’m not complaining, I’m just giving you a glimpse of what life is like in nursing school in case you are considering an accelerated program or in case you are a friend wondering why i don’t call as much as I used to. And truly friends, even if we don’t talk much I LOVE you as much- possibly MORE than I used to! I love remembering frequently that YES, I have a life out of nursing school! It’s not so geographically close and connected as I prefer, but it is filled with some pretty lovely people that I am thankful to know!
loves!
